SCOTLAND'S high street recorded its worst November trading results since records began 12 years ago new figures show.

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), who compile the sales figures, said November retail sales were down 2.1 per cent on a year ago, the worst fall in total sales for any month since the survey began in 1999.

Sales figures for food and drink, clothing, footwear, furniture and flooring, DIY and homeware, and health and beauty all dropped in November.

"Retailers in Scotland have had an exceptionally tough year, worse than the UK as a whole.

"Consumer confidence is currently lower in Scotland than the UK average and householders are more worried about jobs and the state of their personal finances.

"Mild weather continuing into November added to the woes of clothing and footwear retailers who struggled to sell winter ranges, and seems to have led people to begin their seasonal shopping later than a year ago.

"In the end, Christmas should deliver some much-needed cheer to retailers in Scotland but they'll be worried about consumers tightening their belts again in the New Year.

"With no immediate hope of an up turn and damaging increases in business rates on the horizon, the start of 2012 will be a make-or-break period for some retailers."

Scotland's high street has fared worse than the rest of the UK so far this year, with November marking the sixth month out of seven in which non-food sales have fallen.

That compares with just two months of total sales falls recorded for the rest of the UK in March and May.

In Scotland, total sales in November, including food, fell by 1.3 per cent compared to a rise of 0.7 percent recorded for the rest of the UK.

However food sales in Scotland shrunk for the fourth month in a row in November, with growth recorded in just three months of the year to date.

But stripping out food sales, which were also down on a year ago in Scotland, November retail sales dropped 3.3 per cent.

David McCorquodale, head of retail in Scotland with accountant KPMG, said: "It was hoped that cash-strapped consumers might look to spread the cost of Christmas over a period of two to three months, but the sales figures do not reflect that.

"For many retailers December is a balance of hope that consumers find some festive release balanced with being prepared to make tough decisions to plot a path in such challenging conditions."

Measuring sales on a like-for-like basis, which strips out the effect on sales from new floor space coming online, November sales in Scotland were down 2.1 per cent compared with a 1.6 per cent fall for the UK.

And for store landlords the picture in Scotland is just as gloomy.

The Scottish Government announced in September plans to cut empty property rate relief by 2013 in an effort to force landlords to bring empty shops back into use.

At present commercial property in Scotland enjoys 50 per cent relief on retail and office properties and 100 per cent relief on industrial properties.

The Rating (Empty Properties) Act 2007, introduced in England and Wales on April 1 2008, gave most empty commercial properties 100 per cent rate relief for the first three months empty, moving to full rates thereafter.

Industrial and warehouse properties were given 100 per cent rate relief for six months before full rates apply.

A 2009 survey conducted by Lambert Smith Hampton and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found businesses and local authorities were demolishing empty buildings rather than paying full rates.